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I have a 79 euro 5 speed that I'm restoring. After discovering the engine is good, I want to go ahead and reseal the whole thing and replace all the rubber hoses and clamps on the top end. I figure while I have the engine I might as well knock out the other stuff thats easy to do with the engine out. I already plan on doing motor mounts and most likely a new clutch and pressure plate because this car has been sitting for like 6 years. Other than that I'm not sure what else to do so any suggestions are welcome. And just out of curiosity, should I go the extra mile and replace all the screws and washers or is that maybe a little excessive? Thanks for the help!
I obviously don’t want to flood this thread with pictures so if you have any requests just let me know. Hopefully these give you a good idea what I’m dealing with
I did the motor mounts, heat shield, CPS, brake booster and master cylinder. I should have also done brake lines (I couldn’t separate them from the original rubber hoses) and washer pump.
With that engine I would do everything that doesn't require splitting the block. So all but the main bearings.
I would do the front suspension, brake components like the master (get it rebuilt) and the booster, along with the AC lines.
Clutch hydraulics as well since they're easy to get at with all that stuff out of the way.
As for the screws and washers, I would replace them if they are excessively corroded. Otherwise clean them (replate if you're that ****) and reuse them unless Porsche spec'd otherwise.
I have a 79 euro 5 speed that I'm restoring. After discovering the engine is good, I want to go ahead and reseal the whole thing and replace all the rubber hoses and clamps on the top end. I figure while I have the engine I might as well knock out the other stuff thats easy to do with the engine out.
A point of clarification- have you determined the engine is good or are you planning to determine such?
As a bare minimum I would think you need to remove the heads, check for corrosion issues, check the 2/6 big end shells, check but probbly replace the piston rings and take it from there.
Going to need new fuel distributor, power steering lines, do the oil pan gasket with Greg's new material one, new slave cylinder hose, all new steel cam and oil pump gears.
Once you have the oil pan off and can see the guys of the motor, might end up adding rod bearings. Heads should come off based on the valve cover rust and that having the heads done while it's out is much easier.
Definitely flood the thread with photos - that's how the experts here (one of which I am not) can help you.
With the machine in that condition ( thats pictured) I would do some rough estimating that your looking at about 20K for parts, and you do the labor
and thats not including paint or interior.
NOTE for that kind of cash I would be looking for a machine thats ready to drive and has a good interior and exterior,
and use this for a parts car.
Otherwise the moniker you have a project thats gonna cost you 20K to get driving,
and spending 2 years fixing everything.
and it will be worth 8 to10K when your done.
Going to need new fuel distributor, power steering lines, do the oil pan gasket with Greg's new material one, new slave cylinder hose, all new steel cam and oil pump gears.
Once you have the oil pan off and can see the guys of the motor, might end up adding rod bearings. Heads should come off based on the valve cover rust and that having the heads done while it's out is much easier.
Definitely flood the thread with photos - that's how the experts here (one of which I am not) can help you.
It definitely has a less than desirable amount of rust on the engine but its mainly just the top end. I will rebuild the fuel distributor but it does work so I think that will be fine. I will probably look into power steering lines as well as a new brake booster and master cylinder from what I hear. I will be resealing the engine with the victor reinz gasket set and the UBER oil pan gasket on Rogers site. With the rust on the top end I guess at the least I'll replace the top end screws but with the engine out I guess it wouldn't hurt to check the rod bearings. I bought this car for dirt cheap because I wanted it to be a project and I'm willing to put in (probably an unreasonable amount of money) into the car because I'm a car person and love to spend money on cars lol. I don't think it would be a huge deal not replacing the cam and oil pump gears but then again, what do I know?
Last edited by ben43newman; 01-23-2023 at 11:29 AM.
Just out of curiosity, how difficult is it to do the brakes stuff, power steering and AC lines, and front suspension with the engine in the vehicle? If its "do-able" with the engine in I might just do it another time. Call it weird or not but I kinda like the idea of doing things one step at a time and taking my time with this car
Rebuilding the brake line (replicating bends, flaring) isn't difficult. But getting them into those three black brackets that hold them in place (image in the center) when the engine in is hard. They go behind the power steering lines. I have one out of three brackets closed now and my arm is very bruised! And it's hard to get to the booster and master cylinder with the engine in.
I also agree with the upper suspension arm replacement. I did that and am glad I did.
Yes, I think more pictures. That picture of the front of the motor looks pretty horrible, but maybe it was just a leaking water pump + water as coolant, and hopefully it is not typical of the car. For sure that water pump is going to have to come off, and that may well be a disaster as the bolts can be frozen even without the dramatic corrosion. I would attempt that first and see how you feel after. I agree with you about taking things one step at a time. I like to say I am an incrementalist. In theory it takes longer and is more work, but I find that over ambitious projects can stall and never get finished. So, I would start with the front of the motor: the water pump and the cam belt system. See how that goes. If it is not too bad, you should think about doing the head gaskets. All 928s need head gaskets right now, and yours might be worse than many if water was used as a coolant. When you have the water pump off and can see inside the block you might get a hint about that.
Last edited by karl ruiter; 01-23-2023 at 02:37 PM.
Yes, I think more pictures. That picture of the front of the motor looks pretty horrible, but maybe it was just a leaking water pump + water as coolant, and hopefully it is not typical of the car. For sure that water pump is going to have to come off, and that may well be a disaster as the bolts can be frozen even without the dramatic corrosion. I would attempt that first and see how you feel after. I agree with you about taking things one step at a time. I like to say I am an incrementalist. In theory it takes longer and is more work, but I find that over ambitious projects can stall and never get finished. So, I would start with the front of the motor: the water pump and the cam belt system. See how that goes. If it is not too bad, you should think about doing the head gaskets. All 928s need head gaskets right now, and yours might be worse than many if water was used as a coolant. When you have the water pump off and can see inside the block you might get a hint about that.
Yes the front of the motor looks very bad. I haven't looked into it too much but I believe the oil came from the rubber sump return hose that has a large crack in it, and the corrosion is due to the water pump which has a bunch of RTV sticking out of it and seems to have leaked from almost all around the entire pump. Fortunately the previous owner used coolant, not water for the cooling system, however its the green stuff. As for the rest of the engine, its actually pretty clean (relatively leak free) with the exception of the oil pan gasket which looks like its just puked oil everywhere. I will try to upload more pictures of trouble areas.
These are the trouble areas that are the most dirty. I’m going to buy a timing belt and water pump kit from 928 specialists so those components will be replaced. No crazy rust anywhere but definitely a lot of oil in these places. Take what you will from these pictures.
Once the engine is out, it's a great time to "freshen" the engine's mechanicals, not just do a cosmetic "rebuild".
At the very least, pull the heads, replace the head gaskets, stem seals, and associated pieces.
Have a machine shop evaluate the valve guides, valve, and valve/seat condition.
01-22-2023, 03:40 PM
Engine out, what next?
